Dave Stamey!

Western Music Association Hall of Fame

Singer, Songwriter

With Annie Lydon

In Soquel! On Stage Together!

A Tribute to the Real West

Two Shows Wed., January 9 Thur. January 10 Both Shows 7:30 PM

Michael’s on Main2591 Main St. Soquel, CA 95073

These shows will sell out.

Dave Stamey: Dave has received just about every award given by the Western Music Association including being inducted into the WMA Hall of Fame, to join the likes of Gene Autry andRoy Rogers.Unlike many of his fellow Hall of Famers who were all pressed and glittery, he’s the real deal. He grew up on a ranch in Montana and has worked all of his life with horses. and the othercritters of the West. When not touring all over the wests (mid, south and far) he and his wife Melissa tend their cozy spread east of Fresno. Doing all the work that cowboys do – fixing fence, shoveing stuff and driving to the feedstore.

A Writer First – He labels himself as a writer first and foremost, and his songs come from his deep affection for the West. Not just the West of sweeping vistas dotted with sagebrush and miner’s shacks, but the West of truck stops and cheap wine. And always with the utmost respect, seasoned with an occasional dose of wry.

Dave wants to show you things . Maybe something you’ve not noticed, like the hands of your auto mechanic, or something he’s heard about. Maybe he wasn’t there, like the mule named Blackjack who spent his entire life working at the bottom of a Nevada mine. Or maybe a gentle portrait of his dog’s graying muzzle, or maybe the vaquero who could do impossible things with a horse. Some of his songs are “hitters” – punches to the heart that evoke the power and sadness of the history of the West.

Annie Lydon: She’s been composing and singing his harmonies for 15 years. A long-time student of Cabrillo College’s singing teacher, Michele Rivard, and her pop-music classes. Annie first started singing Western music with Lorna Gray and Ingrid Shoden around campfires on horse drives in the Eastern Sierra, with the uniquely-named, “Lorna and the Latrines.” Dave played guitar for the Latrines, and when the group eventually disbanded, Annie began singing harmonies on Dave’s albums.

Wranglin’ the Songs: Every now and again, Dave strolls into a recording studio with a saddle bag of new songs and records them and then sends a CD full of the new stuff to Annie and says, “Whenever you’re ready.” She listens to them all again and again, working out the harmonies and then using her iMac and “Garage Band” she lays down her vocals until she feels that she’s ready to gointo the recording studio where Dave and the producer watch and listen as she slips her harmonies beneath Dave’s musical stories.

Singing together at Mavericks, Altadena, CA. You might think that’s a locomotive creeping up behind them, but it’s a coffee roasting machine. Mavericks is a coffee shop.

Rarely Live Together: Geography and professional distances work against their singing together live very often, but when they do, they weave together their shared love and respect for the West and Dave’s unique musical craftsmanship.

The Dave Stamey Experience:

Dave will probably cringe at this idea, but as someone who has listened to and pondered his songs, I would recommend the following approach if you want to squeeze the essence and emotions out of his songwriting>

1) A live performance. Ideally sweetened with Annie’s vocals. Relax and enjoy the ride as they take you into times and places. If you’re lucky (or unlucky, depending) you’ll get a “head sticker” or two – songs that just won’t go away.

2) The CD – The live show gives you a fleeting one-time hearing of the time and place, while the CD (or digital download) gives you the luxury of re-hearing and pondering. But, that may just raise more questions: Where’d THAT come from? Did that REALLY happen? (Like that kid and the goat butting heads…) What the hell was that REALLY about? Now there’s a new piece of Stamey gear.

THE BOOK.

3) The First Twenty-Five Years: Songs and Stories by Dave Stamey. Just published and a measly $20, Most of his song lyrics are here, along with the guitar chording if you want to strum along. But, the real treat is the back story of each song and a full frontal view of Dave’s creative processes. How phrases come to him, and then haunt him until he gives them full voice. Woven throughout are essays that confirm his writerly chops.

You’ll have all the gear at Michael’s on Main in Soquel.

The Michael’s on Main Gambit: Here’s what we recommend. Show your ticket at the door (don’t expect to buy a ticket at the door – there may not be any) go into the bar where the chairs will be set up and stake out your seat with a coat. Then, if you were smart you made dinner reservations and you can saunter back into the dining room and have a great dinner – good service – and you’ll be able to get back to your seat for Showtime.

These shows will sell out. Dave and Annie JAMMED Don Quixote’s up in Felton which is a much larger venue. Michael’s on Main is more intimate. Smaller. Get there early.